


From Distance

by idgiebee



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/F, Post-Break Up, post 10x12
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:21:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23729731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idgiebee/pseuds/idgiebee
Summary: Magna makes her comeback with initially less welcome than anticipated, all while trying to process the end of her and Yumiko’s relationship.Trying to fill that gap post 10x12 but pre 10x15.
Relationships: Magna/Yumiko (Walking Dead)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 31





	From Distance

**Author's Note:**

> Since we glazed over what happened in the time between losing Hilltop and evacuating Alexandria (seriously, how could they not give us Kelly’s reaction to seeing Magna alive but without Connie?!), here’s my imagining of the groups reuniting after the battle at Hilltop and the events of 10x12. Daryl, Rosita, Ezekiel, Jerry, etc. and the kids have already happened upon Alden and Kelly before eventually running into Carol, Eugene, Magna, and Yumiko.

Daryl stalked quietly between thin but densely packed trees. They had spotted movement and heard some clamoring coming from this area of the woods. Daryl led the way with Kelly just behind him, the two of them ready to fire but peering patiently around each tree as they stepped cautiously closer.

Suddenly, Kelly recognized a tall figure with long, dark hair come up from leaning against a fallen tree. 

“Hey!” she exclaimed and quickly ran out.

“No!” Daryl reached out to grab her but was too late. The rest of the group suddenly picked up and hurried after her. In just a few short steps, they stopped.

They were met with the sight of Kelly wrapped tightly in Yumiko’s arms, the older woman incredulous to see her and the group that followed. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief as they approached each other, laughing at the chances. Carol and Daryl acknowledged each other at a distance before Daryl went about scanning the area for any signs of danger. As everyone began to exchange hugs, one more figure emerged, slowly and with slight difficulty. Kelly caught the movement first.

“…Magna? Are you…” asked Kelly, breathlessly.

Her brain tried to process whether this was wishful or real. Upon hearing Magna’s name, Daryl stopped in his tracks and turned his head sharply back to the group. Kelly’s eyes widened and she began to smile, taking a step toward the woman she feared had been lost for good.

Although Kelly was clearly happy to see her, Magna immediately shook her head no and took a step back, a sudden and intense wave of guilt crashing into her. She began to break down in tears again, unable to form words. Kelly paused at the sight of this, realizing her building hopes and reality would not soon coincide.

Without meaning to, Daryl immediately looked over to Carol, who was already staring at him numbly, almost apologetically. He broke eye contact, shook his head, and slowly approached the group as Magna and Kelly pulled each other into a sobbing embrace.

\----------------------------------------

Carol watched from afar as Magna recounted the same story to Daryl and Kelly that she told to Yumiko. Magna embraced Kelly once again and told her she was sorry. Daryl nodded and decided it was best to give the two of them some space. He began walking away, only to realize he was headed in Carol’s direction. He stayed the course.

As he began to walk past her, Carol spoke up.

“I already took a punch to the face for it,” she said with remorse. “I got what I deserved.”

Daryl bit back a scoff.

“Nah,” he began, unimpressed. “You got what you wanted, what YOU think you deserved.”

He stared hard at her now.

“You don’t get to decide when people are done being mad at you.”

Ezekiel interrupted them, approaching in from the side.

“I hate to butt in, but Alexandria is still two days’ journey by foot from here. It’ll be dark in a couple of hours. We need to set up camp.”

Secretly relieved to not be having this conversation with Carol right now, Daryl looked around at their now bigger group with decisiveness.

“We gotta split up. We’re too big a target like this, ‘specially without any gear, no supplies.”

Magna had just finished cleaning most of the mess off of her face and out of her hair as they began their discussion. She scanned their surroundings with vague familiarity before reluctantly cutting in.

“I know where we can find some.”

\----------------------------------------

“You serious right now?!”

Daryl threw up his hands, incredulous and exasperated. He bit his lip and stared bitterly at a wealth of supplies before him, largely covered in thick branches and brush.

“After last time, you still went on with this shit?” he seethed, throwing his hands up again, and got right into Magna’s face. She had led him, Carol, Yumiko, and Kelly to the large stash of goods she had built over the past few months, all the while steeling herself for this argument. Though still weak from the cave-in and her time spent walking with the horde, she stubbornly held his gaze firmly with her own.

“No,” she said with a sharpness in her tone. “It’s the same shit as last time. I just… I didn’t show you all of it.”

Magna noted as Yumiko’s face scrunched up in a wince and turned away upon hearing this. She suddenly felt the all too familiar feeling of having let her down, but kept her guard up anyway.

Meanwhile, Daryl took a step back and stared at her in disapproval, his hands on his hips.

“Unbelievable.”

“Hey!” she retorted, aggressively taking a step towards him now. “Tell me, how many communities have you been a part of? Since it all started?”

“The hell you goin’ on about?” His voice grew louder, increasingly annoyed.

“How many?” she repeated firmly through clenched teeth.

“Four or… five,” Carol jumped in, trying to get a word in between the two who now seemed like hostile animals ready to jump at each other’s throats. “There have been a few.”

“Yeah? And why aren’t you there now?” Magna challenged. She looked back and forth between the two, daring them to answer.

The group paused in silence. Yumiko and Kelly looked down at the ground. From experience, they knew Magna had a point, though they always hated to steal from the communities that took them in. Magna shared in this sentiment, but continued boldly, assuming leadership in her tone.

“I didn’t do it because I wanted to. When I said I don’t trust you, I meant… I just don’t trust communities to stand forever.” As she spoke, though she firmly believed in what she was saying, she suddenly felt her criminal label being forcibly brought to light again. Her frustration grew.

“I mean… Look,” Kelly came in, sheepishly. “Magna’s done this the past couple places we’ve been through. She’s got skills in it.” She offered this last part in hopes that the others would see past the act of theft to the underlying good intentions.

Magna laughed out sardonically. Impatient and offended, she finally walked off and headed back towards the camp. Kelly’s arms slumped to her sides before following after her.

Yumiko sucked in a tired breath. “Not to enable the thievery, but… I have to admit, they have a point. It’s come in handy to us before.”

Carol again attempted to cut the tension and shift the group’s focus.

“Well then, this solves our problem, doesn’t it? The kids will eat. We have materials for traps and signals to set up a safe camp. We’re just going to not use it?” she suggested, hoping saying it out loud would help Daryl hear how ridiculous it sounded.

Daryl chewed on the inside of his cheek. He knew she was right, but needed a moment to simmer out. He went over and pulled angrily at the brush covering their newly found loot. His lips pursed at the sight of just how much Magna was able to hide out here. Yumiko smiled slightly at the scope of Magna’s haul. She really did have a talent for this. She looked over in pity to the sight of Kelly trailing behind a frustrated Magna, pushing full steam back to their new campsite.

\----------------------------------------

It was dark now. Jerry and Ezekiel helped get the most vulnerable of the group set up in safe sleeping positions, intending to watch over them. Daryl, Alden, and Rosita were first watch on a tight perimeter. Carol decided her best role was to guard and kindle the fire while the others slept. She wanted to be as far removed from the other guards as possible and thought guarding a fire would allow her mind some needed rest.

Eugene, Magna, Yumiko, and Kelly also began to set up for a bit of rest before taking their shifts. Kelly was already kneeling on the ground and smoothing a crude blanket beneath her a little ways away from the fire. Yumiko began to set herself up beside her while Magna cleared a space on the opposite side of them, nearer to the fire.

“Yumiko.” Magna called out. Not sure if she heard correctly, Kelly looked over at her, confused and feeling like something was off. It didn’t quite hit her, but she wasn’t used to hearing Magna use Yumiko’s full first name. She then looked up at Yumiko.

“No, it’s fine. I’m fine.” she insisted. The less context there was, the more intently Kelly studied the pair. Magna was staring firmly back at Yumiko, looking almost bored. She didn’t want this to turn into a back and forth. Carol stared at the small group sadly, having full knowledge of what was happening after having overheard the hard conversation earlier.

With her eyes still locked on Yumiko, Magna gestured to the spot by the fire she had been clearing and waited. Yumiko stared back at her and sighed softly. She walked over, both of them diverting their eye contact to the ground between them. As they passed each other, Yumiko mouthed a quiet “Thank you”, to which Magna acknowledged with a quick and fleeting smile. She then moved to take the now vacant spot next to Kelly.

Kelly stared at her, brow furrowed and mouth curling into an awkward smile.

“…What just happened?” she laughed out uncomfortably.

Magna kneeled down and busied herself with setting up her small sleeping spot. She wanted to speak as matter-of-factly as possible, trying not to attach any sentiment to her words, but ultimately failing.

“She gets cold easily,” she sniffed, voice the slightest bit shaky. “She should be closer to the fire.”

Kelly chuckled in disbelief.

“Okay, but then… shouldn’t you two be like, cuddling or whatever?” she said, smiling and teasing her.

Magna got up suddenly and brushed herself off.

“I’m gonna take my guard shift now, actually.”

Kelly was taken a bit aback at the suddenness of her departure. She looked over to Yumiko again, who was already turned over and facing away from them. Though she hated to keep Kelly in the dark, she resisted the urge to turn around and explain everything in that moment. Frankly, she just didn’t have the emotional energy. She wanted to be mad at Magna for giving her this spot, as if it was supposed to suffice for her absence. She felt the warmth of the fire on her back, unable to deny that she wished it was the familiar feeling of Magna’s embrace instead.

Kelly frowned as she began to piece things together and shook her head in disbelief. She let out a frustrated sigh and laid down, folding her arms in tightly. After all that’s happened and they choose now to fight, to be apart, she thought. Her throat swelled at the thought of how ungrateful for each other they now seemed, especially when all she wanted was to have her sister back, if only she could. She closed her eyes and tried not to cry.

\----------------------------------------

Magna sat on the overturned tree where she and Yumiko had had it out just hours before. She was sharpening her knives, trying to lose her thoughts when she heard someone approaching. She tensed for just a moment, but relaxed and grew almost annoyed when she realized it was Daryl. Still, she made no indication of acknowledging his presence and continued to sharpen her knives.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” he grumbled out, sounding more irritated than he meant to. His gaze went from the knives in her hands to the face hiding behind wild and still matted locks, refusing to look back at him.

“I got my rest. Gonna be hard to fall asleep for a while now anyway.” she admitted plainly.

Daryl looked over to the camp and then back at Magna, slowly understanding. He sat down on the opposite end of the fallen tree. She spoke up before he could.

“Have you two known each other that long?” she asked. He paused a second before realizing she was asking about Carol. He shifted uncomfortably.

“Since just after,” he sniffed and fiddled with his crossbow before continuing. “Lot’s changed since then. How ‘bout you two?” There was a lot to process about the way he was feeling toward Carol right now, and he didn’t feel much like talking about it.

“Mm. Since before.” She stopped for a moment to look at him and pulled down the glove on her left hand. Part of her knew he would recognize her tattoo just as Michonne did. “She was my lawyer.”

Daryl laughed quietly at her blatant confession. “No shit?”

Magna gave a quick raise of her eyebrows in confirmation before continuing with her work. Daryl looked back down at his crossbow, tapping an arrow against his knee. He tried to think back, wrapping his mind around what it would be like to still have people from before in his life now. He mused out loud.

“And then the world ended.”

“Nah,” Magna shook her head, reflecting but still never pausing in her swift movements of blade against stone. “Not mine. My world… My world ended only recently.”

Daryl’s mouth contorted to the side at the sound of her self-deprecation. He felt bad for the pair. After a moment, he dared change the tone. “I appreciate what you did.”

Magna laughed. “You ready to join my band of thieves all of a sudden?”

“Heh,” Daryl chuckled out, admitting his approval for the supplies. “I mean at the cave,” he went on. Magna still wouldn’t look at him, but listened more intently now. “You went back, held off them Whisperers while the rest of us got out.”

Magna finally stopped at this.

“Not all of us.” she reminded him. She stared down at her hands, the memory of Connie’s hand slipping out of her own coming back to haunt her. For a brief moment, the panic she had felt down in the cave began to creep back. She shut her eyes tightly.

“Hey,” he said abruptly for her attention. She looked up at him then and was met with his stern, determined gaze. “We’ll find her.”

Magna stared back for a moment before nodding.

Trying to lighten the mood now, he attempted to sign out: We’ll find her soon. Magna chuckled at his clumsy attempt to sign and finally relaxed a bit.

“We’ll have to work on that before she gets back.” she smirked, pointing to him casually with a freshly sharpened blade.

“Yeah? That bad?” he laughed, not quite believing he was as bad as she said.

“Yeah sure, I’ll help. Let’s start with…” she put down her knives and began signing dramatically: Hi, my name is Daryl. I’m an asshole. Do you like me?

“No no, I know what that one means,” he immediately interjected with a laugh, repeating the sign for “asshole”. 

Magna laughed too, guilty but not sorry for it. As tired as she felt, she was beginning to feel more at ease than before. This was a much more welcoming environment than being stuck in an endless sea of sickos, anyway. The relative peace of the night offered some much-needed reflection at a time where it seemed everyone’s foremost thought could only be about how to push forward to the next step. She welcomed this pause, knowing that, on top of strategizing their next move against the Whisperers, she would soon have to think about how the next move in her own life would be the first on her own in so long.

She looked over at the camp and took a deep breath. Though it was still broken, and it seemed impossible that it would ever be the same as before, she had most of her family back. It’ll get better, she thought, and her heart ached as she took in Yumiko’s form from a distance.

**Author's Note:**

> I literally have never partaken in writing fanfiction, but something about these two makes a person need to find ways to feel more, dammit. Full disclosure, I’ve been sitting on a huge word doc of Yumagna stuff since the mid-season finale which I never intended to post but was solely meant to be my personal coping mechanism with the STRESS they put us through. But as I’m greedily lurking the Magna/Yumiko tag and covid crisis is crashing all around us, I thought I’d ought to share. Hell, we’ve all got time now.  
> I may post the others if I ever fine-tune them because at the moment, they’re all in pieces. Much like my heart after Magna and Yumiko okay okay you all get it see you soon take care byeeeeee


End file.
